like the world's spinning in slow motion
by constellation way
Summary: /...and we're moving too fast./ "I like what we have now. It's something special. And I don't want it to go wrong." Because Dash is in love with GoGo and GoGo is in love with Dash and that's pretty much all that matters. [drabbles.]
1. an excellent idea

_GoGo meets Dash for the first time, and he takes matters into his own hands._

* * *

"Hi there."

The voice is distinctly male, deep, and unfamiliar. GoGo doesn't think. She spins around and holds up her arms with the maglev discs attached to her wrists –

Unfortunately, she's neglected to take notice of the fact that the rooftop is _wet_.

Her arms fly upwards, moving in a windmill motion as she stumbles, skidding on the puddles –

Her feet fly up into the air, and _oh shit _she's about to crash onto the ground –

And then she's suddenly very aware of a pair of strong arms catching her just as she slips, cradling her.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry – you okay?"

GoGo is very conscious of the fact that she's practically _cuddled _in this guy's arms. She does not like this. Not one bit. Even if the guy holding her can't see her face since she's in her suit and she's got her helmet on, and even if he's kind of mildly attractive even in the dark and with a dark mask over bright blue eyes.

She scowls. "Yes."

She tries to scramble off him and get back onto her feet, but to her fury, he sets her down gently.

She's about to take another step when she encounters another puddle and this time, the guy's hands shoot out to grip her arms, making sure she stays upright.

"I'm fine," she mutters, trying to shrug off his arms.

The guy laughs, lifts his hands. "You're welcome."

She turns her back on him, crosses her arm and glares back out at the city of San Fransokyo.

"I didn't know there were superheroes in San Fransokyo," he says.

"We're new to the job."

"I know. I watched the news and heard about what happened at Krei Industries." The boy steps up to stand next to her, tall and well-built and blond, in a bold red and black suit with an insignia on the front of it. "So what's your superhero name supposed to be?"

"What's yours?"

He turns to her and grins. "Well, I kind of change it every now and then. Having the same codename for so long gets kind of boring." He rolls his eyes. "I was thinking, new town, new name, you know? Something like – the Incredible Speedster."

"So you get a name for yourself _and _hold onto your past."

He looks faintly pleased at that. "You know who I am?"

She wants to scoff. The insignia's not hard to recognise. "Yeah. You're that Incredibles kid."

"Hardly a kid," he protests. "Why does everyone think of me as a kid? I have a younger brother!"

GoGo just pops her bubble gum and doesn't answer.

"So, what's _your _codename?"

"Don't have one."

"You _don't_?"

"Told you. We're new."

"That's not right." Speedster, or whatever his name is, shakes his head next to her. "That's not right at all. What about – Wheels?"

"Wheels?"

GoGo turns her head to look at him and raises an eyebrow, even though she knows he can't see her face. "Seriously?"

"Hey, these are wheels, aren't they?" He prods at the discs attached to her wrists, grinning when she moves her hand back, defensively. "And it's better than having no codename at all!"

GoGo places her hand on her hips. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm incredible," he corrects.

She's about to retort when her communicator buzzes into life, and Hiro's voice resounds through her helmet: "Uh, GoGo? I think we need help."

"What?"

She ignores the curious look sent her way by the blond guy.

"Fred kind of set an abandoned warehouse on fire."

GoGo shuts her eyes. "He did _what_?"

"Well, it's not really anyone's fault! He wasn't supposed to be on patrol tonight!"

"Remind me to punch him," she says.

Hiro gives her the directions and she tells him she'll be there and shuts off the communicator.

Next to her, Speedster makes a face. "You're leaving?"

"Problems to be fixed, people to punch."

"Sounds fun," he says, cheerfully.

"It will be."

"I'm not invited?"

"No."

"If you need to get there urgently, I can – "

"Save it. I can get there."

She nods, once, and she's off.

Behind her, Dash Parr stares after her, a slightly fascinated look on his face.

* * *

The next time she's on patrol, he creeps up behind her again.

"Hey, Wheels."

"It's you."

He makes a face again as he inches over next to her, setting himself down on the edge of the rooftop. She doesn't chase him away, just sits on the edge with one leg propped up – the disc set to the side – and her other leg swinging. "I have a name, you know."

"It's a stupid one."

His face falls. "Really?"

"Quit whining. Woman up."

"Now that's one I've never heard before."

* * *

Their next conversations are eerily similar.

"Hey, Wheels, did you miss me?"

"No."

"Hey, Wheels, you wanna race around the city?"

"You're just asking to be humiliated."

"Hey, Wheels, what do you think of _The Dash_?"

"It's stupid."

"Hey, Wheels – "

"Will you _stop _calling me that?"

* * *

One night, he asks her: "If I stop calling you Wheels, then what do I call you?"

There's no hesitation in her answer: "GoGo."

He blinks in surprise. "What?"

"My nickname," she says, and he can tell that she's slightly uncomfortable; there's an edge in her voice. "My friends call me that."

"Oh. I get it. Because you're always on the go?"

"Figure that out all by yourself, did you?"

"What can I say? I think, sometimes, I'm a genius."

"_So _modest."

"I try."

And then –

"GoGo?"

She leaps to her feet, spinning around, and Dash does the same, scrambling up to his feet. There's a girl behind them, a tall, skinny girl in pink with long blond hair, a helmet on her head and a visor hiding her face.

"Honey Lemon," GoGo says.

Dash wrinkles his nose. Honey Lemon? That can't possibly be a codename – can it?

The girl's head twists from her to him. "And you must be – "

"No one important," says GoGo.

Dash pulls a face again. "Hey! I'm plenty important!"

"Yes, _so _very important."

GoGo pops her bubblegum, as if unimpressed. It's a sound he's gotten used to hearing. He's pretty sure she's chewing on the stuff all the time.

"The Incredible Speedster," he says, smoothing back his hair and grinning at the girl she calls Honey Lemon.

"Still the stupidest superhero name ever."

"Hey, at least I came up with one!"

She scoffs.

"Uh – " He can hear the surprise in Honey Lemon's voice, like she's not really sure how she should react. "GoGo, Wasabi says that Hiro needs us back at the garage – "

"What happened this time?" GoGo wants to know.

"Something about Tadashi and upgrades – "

"Aw, you're leaving so soon?"

He watches as GoGo twists her helmeted head to look at him, even though he can't see a damn thing behind her darkened visor. He can't help but feel a slight pang in his chest at the fact that she's leaving early, _again_.

He'll admit it. He kind of likes spending time with this yellow-and-black-clad figure.

"Don't miss me too much," she deadpans, and then she turns. "C'mon, Honey Lemon."

"Do I get a kiss?" he calls out, just as she's about to zip down the side of the building. Honey Lemon is holding some kind of coloured ball in her hands, holding it over the edge, like she's about to drop it.

She turns back, and for a moment, Dash wonders if he's gone too far.

Instead, she punches him in the arm, and for a small figure, she really packs a punch.

"Don't get your hopes up," she tells him, and the next thing he knows she's gone, and Honey Lemon has dropped down the side of the building.

* * *

Dash thinks that that must have been the worst possible thing for him to ever have said, because GoGo's words keep echoing in his mind.

_Don't get your hopes up._

Now it's all he can think about.

Which, honestly, is kind of stupid, considering that he doesn't even have a clue what she looks like, since that stupid helmet blocks everything.

It doesn't really matter. Her words still echo throughout his head.

"You know what my face looks like," he tells her, one day.

"I do."

"Do I get to see what your face looks like?"

"Are you trying to get that kiss?"

He grins at her sheepishly. "Maybe."

She punches him in the shoulder, hard. "Not a chance, bonehead."

* * *

Their next few conversations end up like this:

"Hey, GoGo, I brought pizza!"

"You just want me to take my helmet off."

"Hey, GoGo, are you thirsty?"

"Stop trying."

"Hey, GoGo, you want some bubble gum?"

"Maybe."

"Hey, GoGo, do I get a kiss if I bring you flowers?"

"I'll consider it."

* * *

The first time he sees her face, though, it's not in the fading dusk or in the middle of the night on a rooftop in San Fransokyo.

The first time he sees her, he's wandered into some place called the Lucky Cat Café and he's ordered chicken wings and he's seated at a table next to a group of people.

He can make out a boy in a beanie and in baggy clothes, a big African-American guy in green, a tall, thin blond girl, a short, dark-haired girl with violet streaks in her hair, a scarred boy in a baseball cap and a scrawny boy in an SFIT hoodie.

"Aw, c'mon, Wasabi, you still haven't tried making my shrink ray – "

It's the name _Wasabi _that gets Dash's head shooting up. Isn't that the name that Honey Lemon girl mentioned, the one and only time he met her? How many people can there be called _Wasabi_?

"I told you, Fred," the African-American guy sighs. "It doesn't work that way. Ask Honey Lemon!"

_Honey Lemon_?

"It really isn't," says the tall, blond girl, and heck – he _knows _that voice.

"Hiro, my man, support me here!" says the guy in the beanie.

"Stop whining," the dark-haired girl snaps, and Dash stiffens suddenly, because he _knows _that voice, and there, right there, there it is – the _pop _of a bubble gum.

Hiro, Wasabi, Honey Lemon – it couldn't possibly be –

"You should listen to GoGo before she punches you," says the boy in the baseball cap, his voice amused.

_GoGo_.

"Tadashi – "

"I will punch you if you start talking about that freeze ray," the girl called GoGo threatens.

It's her. It _has _to be her.

He listens to their conversation, as discreetly as he possibly can. He hears about a robot called Baymax, about all kinds of projects they're working on, about the girl called GoGo working on her electromagnetically suspended wheels and getting them to go faster than they possibly can.

It's this last part when he knows for sure that it's her.

"Why are you trying to make it go faster?" Tadashi asks.

She shrugs, pops her bubblegum, that familiar popping sound, and she tells him, in that voice Dash knows so well: "I met this blond punk the other night while I was on patrol. Guy went faster than I ever could. New goal's to get my speed up to that - get it to run over water, and everything."

Blond punk?

That _has _to be him. She's certainly addressed him that way before.

"You mean that guy you were flirting with?" Honey Lemon wants to know.

"I was _not _flirting - "

Honey Lemon just giggles. "You like him, don't you? Ohmygodohmygodohmygod _GoGo _\- "

"Honey Lemon, I love you, but if you don't shut up, I will punch you."

Dash figures that's all he really needs to hear.

* * *

Dash does his homework, and the next day he shows up at the robotics lab at SFIT with a bunch of flowers in his hands.

This is stupid, he chides himself. This is stupid, this is really, really stupid –

But still he stays there, in the lab, next to a yellow bike with wheels that look so very familiar.

People take risks all the time, he tells himself. Heck, he takes risks all the time. Stupid risks that usually have a high chance of getting him killed.

But this is a different kind of risk, he thinks.

It's the Wasabi guy and Tadashi who come in first, hauling the small kid in the SFIT hoodie between them, and he sees them stop short and glance over at him, standing by the bike in his jeans and a shirt and a bunch of flowers in his hands. The guy in the beanie – Fred – comes in next, followed by Honey Lemon, both of whom look at him in confusion, but he ignores them and waits for the next person to enter the doors.

Then she does enter, in a leather jacket and shorts and leggings and pink bubble gum in her mouth.

She stops short in front of her bike, across him.

"Who're you?" she says, raising an eyebrow, her tone hostile. It's exactly the same as when he met her for the first time, he thinks.

_Oh, boy_.

He swallows, clears his throat nervously, and holds out the flowers: "You said you'd consider giving me a kiss if I brought you flowers."

She stares at him for what feels like _forever, _and oh shit maybe he shouldn't have done this what is he thinking he's supposed to keep his secret identity a _secret _and what on earth is he –

"You," is all she says, her eyes widening just slightly.

He grins at her nervously. "Hi there?"

GoGo brings her arm back and punches him, hard.

He bends over, wincing slightly as he raises his head: "Okay, that hurt."

"It was meant to," she says.

Oh, shit, this really was a bad idea, a very, _very _bad idea –

And then she grabs the front of his shirt and yanks him down, and she presses her lips to his.

Dash reconsiders his previous thought. This was an _excellent _idea.


	2. a shirt with the name PARR

**i was...bored. and i had writer's block for all my other works. and...yeah. and i thought about how cute dash and gogo would be together. and poof! this popped up. **

**hope you enjoy i guess? haha**

* * *

_Because GoGo wants to keep their relationship a secret, and Dash isn't really sure why. _

* * *

GoGo thinks she should probably stop, but she doesn't really want to.

She's only aware of lips pressing against hers, hard, kissing her hungrily; of warm arms encircling her, fingers playing idly with the waistband of her shorts, tracing patterns on her stomach, on her back, hips pressed against hers, the counter behind her as she grips it, firmly, before letting go to pull him closer by his shirt, to run hands through soft blond hair –

She bites his lip as they break apart and he moans, slightly, their foreheads pressed together.

"We should stop," she breathes. "They said they'd be coming back after dinner."

"They're not here yet," Dash Parr murmurs as he nuzzles the side of her face, her neck, hoisting her up onto the countertop. "GoGo – "

"Not safe," she mutters, even though she's still gripping onto his shoulders tightly. "You should go."

"When can I come visit you again?"

"I'll text you," she tells him, and, unwillingly, she drops the hold she has on his shirt, forcibly pushes him back. "You'll be here in five seconds anyway."

"You bet I will," he says, and he raises a hand to run through her hair again. "Have I ever told you how grateful I am for moving to San Fransokyo and for running into you the first night I was on patrol?"

"As far as I remember, you came up behind me and said _hi_ without even checking if I was a Supervillain. Very un-Superhero-like."

"You were hardly intimidating."

"You want to say that again?"

"No, not really," he chuckles, his hand stopping to rest on her face, and she leans into his touch almost without thinking. "Are you never planning to tell them? I told my sister, you know. She's very excited to meet you."

"One day," she says. "Maybe one day I'll tell them."

"I hope it'll be soon. Then I can actually kiss you properly."

"Shut up, Parr. Get home."

"I'm going on patrol later," he reminds her. "Care to join me?"

"It's Wasabi and Honey Lemon today."

"What about _after _patrol?"

GoGo rolls her eyes, shoves him away. "Get going, Parr."

"Mm," he says, but then he pulls her close and kisses her one last time before stepping back, grinning. "Text me soon, GoGo."

Before she can blink he's gone, the doors only just sliding open and leaving a rush of wind in his wake.

She only smiles to herself as she flips open her toolbox and slides under her bike.

* * *

"Do you guys actually notice anything – well – _different _about GoGo?"

Tadashi is strolling along the pavement with his hands in his pockets, staring very hard at the ground in front of him as he walks. This, Hiro knows, is not normal Tadashi behaviour. Ever since the fire and the incident with Callaghan and discovering that his little brother and his best friends are off in brightly coloured costumes as Superheroes, Tadashi _always _keeps an eye on his surroundings. Always.

"She's happier now," Honey Lemon offers. "I asked her about it, but she told me not to talk about it."

Hiro joins his brother in frowning. "Happier?"

"Yeah, she even put my tools back properly after she borrowed them!" Wasabi says, suddenly, his forehead wrinkling as he recalls the incident. He can remember afternoons where GoGo actually borrows his tools without messing up his system, where she returns them and puts them exactly in its place. It's not a very GoGo-like thing to do. "It kinda freaked me out."

"She didn't punch me at all for, like, two weeks," Fred supplies. "Freaky shit is getting freaky, people! Do you think she's being possessed by, like, aliens or something?"

There's a soft chuckle, and Hiro's head shoots up sharply at the sight of a blond guy around Tadashi's age walking along the pavement towards them, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Sorry," the blond guy apologises, his blue eyes shining, holding up his hands as he grins. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just – I heard that last part. Sorry."

"Sorry, man," Fred says. "Our best friend's just acting kind of weird. She could totally be possessed by aliens or something."

"Sure," the guy says, with the kind of indulgent grin that's similar to the kind Tadashi always gives Hiro – the kind of 'I'll humour you because I like you' kind of smile that Hiro always gets.

"Where are you coming from?" Tadashi asks, suddenly. "There's only the campus back there. Are you a student at SFIT?"

Trust Tadashi to get all suspicious. He's tended to get a little more wary about people who aren't students hanging around campus late at night.

"Visiting my girlfriend," the blond guy says, easily. "She's a student there. Told me to get lost so she could finish up her work. Said I was being too distracting." He shrugs, almost sadly.

"Uh huh," Tadashi says.

"Well, great talking to you people." The blond boy beams at them. "Maybe I'll see you around the next time I visit my girlfriend, yeah?"

He salutes them, a two-fingered salute that looks vaguely familiar, and he sets off down the pavement behind them. Honey Lemon throws an interested glance as she trails behind Hiro, Tadashi a suspicious one.

* * *

_**Idiot**__, 21:45 – _I think I just ran into your friends. That Fred guy thinks you're being possessed by aliens.

GoGo frowns at the text.

...

_**Punk**__, 21: 46 – _Fred said what?

Dash grins as he strolls along the pavement.

...

_**Idiot, **__21:51 – _Apparently your friends have caught on that you're acting strange. Told you I was a good influence.

GoGo pops her bubble gum.

...

_**Punk**__, 21:55 – _You and good influence don't come together. What did you tell them?

His fingers flash over the keyboard deftly.

...

_**Idiot, **__21: 58 – _That I'd been to visit my girlfriend who kicked me out because she had to work and I was being too distracting. (;

GoGo rolls her eyes, and she's about to reply when the doors slide open.

"Hey, GoGo," Tadashi says, and she bobs her head, once, as they pile into the nerd lab, and she turns her attention back to her phone.

_**To Idiot**__, 22:01 – _You really want to keep up that argument?

"Why are you always on your phone nowadays?" Honey Lemon asks, curiously, as she begins to stack up her files and her notes together. "I mean, you hardly used it last time. But you're always using your phone nowadays."

GoGo shrugs. "Reasons."

"You're so secretive lately," Hiro says, and something tugs at GoGo's heart because _damn _does that kid make her feel guilty. Standing behind him is Tadashi, who is making her feel equally guilty as he gazes at her with one of his sad puppy-dog looks.

_Are you never planning to tell them_?

"I have stuff to settle," she says, and she slams her toolbox shut. "I'm going home, guys."

"But – " Fred half-rises from his chair. "Aw, c'mon, GoGo, don't get mad - "

"I'm not," she says, almost too sharply. "I'm just tired."

"GoGo – "

She shoves the last of her things into her bag, slings it up onto her shoulder, grabs her helmet. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"GoGo – "

She nods her head once, gives them her two-fingered salute and makes her way out of the lab.

"That was abrupt," Wasabi says.

* * *

_**Punk**__, 22:09 – _Can you skip patrol tonight?

_**Idiot**, 22:10 - _Come on over. There's ice cream and movies.

* * *

Tadashi is sure of it. There is something going on with GoGo.

He paces up and down the room, his hands behind his back, while Hiro lies sprawled on his bed, watching Tadashi march. Back, and forth, and back, and forth –

"Why are you so worried about GoGo?" Hiro wants to know. "She knows how to take care of herself."

"That's the thing!" Tadashi says. "She acts and she talks like she can, and everyone _thinks _that she can, but she's a lot more fragile than that – "

"GoGo? _Fragile_?"

Tadashi nods his head vigorously.

"Fragile," he repeats. "If something happens to her – "

"Tadashi, you're her best friend," Hiro reminds him. "If anything's troubling her, it's you she'll go to straightaway."

"You think?"

"I _know_," says Hiro. "Now will you stop pacing?"

* * *

"I think that's your phone."

GoGo raises her head from the mountain of pillows, a familiar blond-haired, blue-eyed figure next to her, smiling at her sleepily. She swears under her breath as she leans across him to grab her phone, vibrating incessantly on his bedside table.

_Hiro Hamada calling_. Fantastic.

She lies sprawled over Dash as she answers, as he drapes an arm over her: "Yeah?"

"Are you coming over for brunch?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know, you've kind of been acting weird lately," Hiro says. "Tadashi's been getting worried."

"He's worried about everything." GoGo slaps at Dash's hand as he draws circles on her skin underneath her tank top, his fingers warm. He grins at her and his hand travels lower, and she rolls her eyes and turns back to the phone. "I'll be there."

"I've been getting worried, too," Hiro says, and something tugs at her heart again. "So – see you in twenty?"

"Yeah."

She hangs up, abruptly, and turns to look at Dash, who is pouting: "You're leaving?"

"Shut up, Parr. I already stayed the night. Puppy eyes don't suit you."

"Really? Because Vi always gives in."

"Maybe she gives in so you won't start whining." GoGo slides out of the bed, rubs at her hair. "I've still got my spare clothes here, right?"

"Mmhmm. The drawer I cleared for you."

Dash frowns as she disappears into the bathroom, pushing himself so he's sitting up in bed. If there's one thing that's nagging at him, it's why GoGo doesn't tell anyone about their relationship. He's head over heels for the adrenaline junkie – to be honest, he thinks he's been head over heels for her since he ran into her doing patrol all those months ago and he started following her around on her patrols.

He's told his family about her – not who she is, but that he has a girlfriend, anyway. Vi, of course, he's told everything. Even the few friends he has around San Fransokyo, at his workplace, everything, know that he has a girlfriend, even if he never tells them who it is.

But GoGo? Dash knows she's an intensely private person. She likes to be in control, to keep her emotions and her expressions in check. But he knows she trusts her friends, so why won't she tell them about _them_?

"Something on your mind?"

GoGo is stepping out of the bathroom, looking effortlessly amazing as always, and Dash blinks as he realises that she's only got a pair of patched jeans on and a sports bra. Clearly, the stack of spare shirts she's left in his drawer have run out. Still, her lack of a shirt doesn't seem to bother her as she leans against the doorway, watching him.

"Why don't you tell your friends about me?"

The question is out before he can take it back.

The expression on her face changes slightly.

He watches her as she drifts over to the bed, as she sits on the edge. Dash crawls over so he's sitting next to her, sitting cross-legged as she sits with her legs swinging.

"I'm afraid," she says, finally.

He blinks. "Afraid?"

GoGo shrugs. "You've heard me talk about them. They're crazy. Relentless. I like what we have now. It's something – it's something special. And I don't want to – I don't want it to go wrong."

Something pounds in his chest, and he reaches forward and takes her hand. "GoGo."

She shrugs again. "And I just – I don't know if I start talking about you to them, then I'll – I'll let something slip. About you being – being the _other _you, you know? The famous Incredible Speedster. Whatever stupid names you come up with. I don't want this – this to be ruined." She waves her free hand for emphasis, gesturing between the two of them, her eyes not meeting his.

"Nothing will ruin this," Dash tells her, and he squeezes his hand gently. "You hear that, GoGo Tomago? I'm not letting anything I have with you go wrong. You're worth more to me than that. It's your choice to tell them, but – but I'm always gonna be here, you know that? I'm not gonna let anything ruin what we have."

She doesn't answer that. She kisses him instead.

* * *

GoGo shows up fifteen minutes later than she said she would be, in patched jeans and a shirt that looks much too big for her.

Tadashi frowns at her: "Is that your shirt?"

GoGo glances down at the shirt, and she doesn't know whether to curse Dash or to thank him. It's one thing to spend the night at Dash's house. It's another to realise that she's run out of spare shirts at his place.

So, fortunately or unfortunately, she's had to borrow one of Dash's. It's faded and blue with the name 'PARR' on the right sleeve, and it's much too big for her.

"No," she admits.

She thinks of the conversation with Dash she's just had.

She can remember endless nights with him trailing after her, badgering her on her patrols, until patrols didn't feel quite so normal unless he was there next to her. She can remembering smiling more often than she's smiled with him around, she can remember endless flirting even though she's GoGo and she doesn't do flirting and she still never let him saw her face under her helmet and he never took off his mask.

Until, of course, that night during some robbery they'd run into and she'd gotten knocked over so bad that he'd taken her back to his apartment to treat her wounds.

Of course, that meant taking off her helmet, and that meant GoGo finding out where he lived and his actual identity.

She supposes, though, that it was a fair trade. He found out her identity, and she found out his.

She can also remember the first time he kissed her, standing on a rooftop with the lights of San Fransokyo spread out below them, her holding her helmet under her arm and him with his scrap of black fabric that is his mask in his hand.

"It's my boyfriend's," she says, and she tugs at the bottom of the shirt.

Wasabi chokes on his pancakes, Fred nearly spits out his orange juice, Honey Lemon lets out a squeal and throws her arms around the shorter girl's, while the Hamada brother stare at her in disbelief.

"Boyfriend?" Tadashi stammers.

She manages a smile. "You ran into him last night."

This time, Fred _does _spit out his orange juice.

"Oh, GoGo, you should've told us!" Honey Lemon says, excitedly. "Why didn't you _tell _us? Do we get to meet him? I mean, I know we met him last night, but do we get to meet him _properly _as your boyfriend? This is so exciting! How did you two meet? You have to tell me _everything _– "

"Honey Lemon, let her breathe," Hiro says, even though he's still staring at GoGo with something a lot like shock.

GoGo wonders if maybe she _should _have told them.

...

**_Idiot, _**_11:23 – Have I ever told you how much I love you?_

**_Punk, _**_11: 23 – You can say it again. _

**_Idiot, _**_11: 24 – I love you._

**_Punk, _**_11: 24 – I love you too. _


	3. a normal night on patrol

_A normal evening out on patrol for GoGo and Dash._

* * *

The stars glitter in the sky above them, the lights of San Fransokyo spread below them, but the two figures on the rooftop of one of the abandoned warehouses hardly notice them. And it is easy to see why – they are so wrapped up in each other, their attention solely on each other, that anything that could possibly distract them must indeed be something of great importance.

A yellow helmet with a black visor lies discarded at their feet, along with a thin scrap of black fabric that, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a mask. Next to these are four yellow wheels, idly scattered about, by small yellow-clad feet and another pair of larger feet clad in black boots.

The boy, a tall blond man, attempts to pull away from their kiss as the sound of a motorbike roars past, but the girl, dark-haired with violet streaks falling over her eyes, nips at his bottom lip and he lets out a low moan, grabbing her waist and pulling her close again, kissing her fervently.

When they finally break apart, the blond man lets out a low chuckle: "You know, GoGo, for a nerd, you're a pretty amazing kisser."

"For an asshole, Dash, you're not so bad yourself."

"Mmm," he murmurs, keeping his hands on her waist as he gazes down at the shorter girl, whose arms are wrapped around his neck. "Don't you ever get tired of insulting me?"

"You wish."

"Actually, I kind of like your insults."

"I kind of like it better when you don't talk so much."

Without warning, GoGo yanks him down again to kiss him. Dash doesn't protest.

* * *

He loves her, goddammit, he really does.

He can feel her body pressed up against his, the soft material of her suit through his fingers. He can smell her hair, soft and smelling so very much like strawberry, and he can taste bubble gum as he kisses her hard.

_GoGo_.

How'd he get so lucky?

When they finally break apart to gasp for air again, he finds himself staring at her, at her warm brown eyes and the crooked smile on her face. It's _that _smile, the smile she reserves only for him, and he can feel his hands tighten their grip on her waist as he feels himself melt all over again.

Sure, kissing her is great. But her smiling at him like that – now _that's _something else entirely.

Something crackles by her feet, and a girl's voice wavers: "GoGo?"

He sighs, thumps his head down on hers in disbelief.

She chuckles, pats his face before moving down to the helmet and switching on the speaker for her communicator: "Yeah, Honey Lemon?"

"Hey, Hiro was thinking we could end off early tonight," Honey Lemon offers. "Since there hasn't been anything happening at all, or for the past few hours, really. You wanna head back to the café?"

GoGo glances over at Dash, who is looking at her pleadingly, and she has to bite back a chuckle. "It's okay, Honey. I'm – kind of busy."

"Oh. _Oh_! Is _he _there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he is."

"Don't stay up too late," Honey Lemon says, a cheeky tone coming into her voice. "Be safe!"

"Shut it, Honey. See you at school tomorrow."

"See you."

She leaves the helmet on the ground and raises herself up again so she's looking up at Dash, who's grinning at her, his arms crossed over his chest now.

She raises an eyebrow. "Got a problem with something?"

"Kind of," he says. "You just got off for the rest of the night, and we're still both standing here when my apartment's not that far away."

"That is a problem," she agrees, slowly sliding the helmet over his head and Dash puts on his mask. She slides on the maglev wheels: "We should remedy that."

"We should," he says. "Race you back?"

"Like you have to ask."

From the sky above, through the streets of San Fransokyo, a red blur can be seen streaking across the city, a blur of yellow right next to it.

* * *

The sun's just beginning to filter in through the windows when Dash raises his head from his bed, groggy. He can hear the shower running, and the bed next to him is empty, and he can see discarded clothes on the floor.

His head thumps back into the pillows just as the shower turns off.

GoGo emerges from the bathroom in a pair of dark shorts and one of his old track shirts, clearly too big for her.

"You look good in my shirts," he says, lazily, from his place on his bed.

"I thought I look good in everything." She raises an eyebrow.

He tilts his head, considering. "You look even _better _in my shirts," he decides.

GoGo just chuckles, runs her hand along his arm as she sits on the edge of the bed next to him. Her hand is small and comforting and cooling on his arm, and he can almost feel himself unravelling as she continues up his arm and over his shoulders and collar bones.

"Honey Lemon and Tadashi want to meet you," she tells him. "You want to meet them?"

"They're your best friends," he says. "Of course I want to meet them." He smiles sleepily at her. "Vi wants to meet you too. She's coming to visit me next week. You up for it?"

"She's your sister. Of course I'm up for it."

"I love you," he says, sleepily, rolling over and catching her other hand.

_Her smile_.

"I love you too."


	4. a need for words

_a secret identity's meant to be a secret, but when it comes to GoGo Tomago, Dash figures the same rules don't really apply. _

_(_before the fire)

* * *

Dash first meets her one night when he's wandering around the streets of San Fransokyo in his supersuit, making sure to know the city layout and the routes. It's a big city, bright and buzzing and full of noise, and he likes it.

Plus, as far as he can tell, the police department's pretty competent in rounding up criminals. He's not like his dad, who gets himself involved in everything from saving old lady's cats and stopping robbers and getting in the way of people's suicides. Sure, he likes to speed things up often, but sometimes it's not so bad letting the local department handle it.

But we digress.

He's zipping along the rooftops when he sees the yellow blur zooming on the streets below him, going only slightly slower than he is. This alone is virtually impossible – or, well, close to impossible – so he speeds down the side of the building and starts running along the yellow blur.

He soon realises two things.

One, that the yellow blur is actually a black-clad girl on a yellow bicycle.

Two, that the bike is definitely out of control.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, keeping in pace with the bike next to him, swerving uncontrollably.

For some reason, the figure on the bike doesn't seem to find a problem with the fact that there is a blond man in a red-and-black suit and mask running alongside her at the same pace she's travelling.

"No," the figure grunts, and Dash realises that it's actually a girl. "Problem with the brakes – "

Dash wants to ask how the hell this girl can not have made sure the brakes were all right before going on the bike at a virtually impossible speed, but he decides not to. Right now, he's got to make sure that the bike stops somewhat safely, and he's probably the only one who can get that done.

"Can you slow it down a bit more?" he wants to know.

"What, you think you can stop it? I'm just hoping it doesn't crash into San Fransokyo Bay."

"Of course I'm going to stop it! This thing's dangerous!"

He can hear the girl mutter something beneath her helmet, but the bike slows down just a little.

It's all Dash needs. His hands are over the girl's in an instant as he slows himself down, dragging the bike along with him as he grips the handles of the bike. Difficult, but still manageable. He can hear some sort of protest from under the helmet, the girl's fingers twitching under his, but he ignores it and focusses on getting the bike to slow down as they veer along a line of abandoned factories and warehouses on the edge of the city.

_Yes_!

He manages to skid to a halt, just as the bike crashes into a pile of empty crates and cardboard boxes outside an empty warehouse.

The bike ends up toppling onto the ground, the girl with it, but Dash manages to grab her arms and haul her up before she ends up below the bike.

"You okay?" he asks. He notes, without really thinking about it, that she's kind of short, in some kind of leather jacket and she's wearing shorts with leggings.

"Fantastic." Carefully, the girl peels off his hands from her arms. Her voice is gruff, almost irritated. "Thanks."

"Yeah, sure." He glances over at the yellow bike, now with a stack of crates falling over it. "What on earth were you doing, riding that thing without testing the brakes?"

"Actually, I was testing the brakes." There's a low chuckle, and he turns back to the girl to find her dragging off her helmet. Her hair is black with violet streaks and her eyes are brown and narrow but she's grinning with amusement and there's a spark in her eyes, and – _hell, _she is _cute_. "There wasn't room to test it out in the lab."

"In the lab?"

"Yeah. College. This is my final project." The girl shrugs, bends down to haul the bike out of the mess. Dash automatically bends down as well, pushing aside crates and boxes to retrieve the bike, which has the weirdest wheels he's ever seen before.

"What kind of wheels are these?" he wants to know, prodding at them.

"Electromag suspension," she says, examining them and the bike, in a tone that says that this should be obvious. "They're not even fast enough yet, but my professor wants me to get a brake on this thing first before I continue on the wheels." She rolls her eyes, and there's a _pop!_ as she blows out her bubble gum.

"Yeah, you should probably work on that," Dash agrees, and he grins: "I might not be around to save you next time."

"I don't need saving."

"Sure you don't. That's why you nearly got yourself killed."

The girl shrugs again. "I'd probably have just ended up in the hospital again." Then she raises her eyebrows, looks him up and down. "You're that Incredibles guy. One of the sons. Who're you supposed to be again?"

Dash grins, draws himself up slightly. "I'm Silverspeed."

"If you're _Silver_speed, why're you wearing a red and black outfit?"

"There's silver along the black!" he protests, holding up the gloves in front of his face. She just looks at him as if unimpressed, and for some reason he smiles at her goofily.

She's kind of cool.

"So what's your name?"

"GoGo," she says, holding up the bike and looking it over. _GoGo. _He figures it must be a nickname, and heck, it seems to suit her pretty well. "Great. Gotta get this back to the lab and check it out tomorrow."

"You mean today," Dash says, helpfully. "It's twelve thirty. Why are you riding your bike at twelve thirty, anyway?"

"The lab closes at midnight," she says. "I wanted to try getting home on the bike."

He stares at her in disbelief. "You carried out the test for your brakes while you were going home?"

"No time like the present," GoGo says. "Thanks again, by the way."

She sends him a wry smile, and something flips over abruptly in Dash's stomach. _That smile_. Hell, he's probably had a million and one girls smile at him before, but that smile is something else entirely.

"I'll walk you home," he offers.

She raises her eyebrows again. "I'm not some kind of damsel in distress, you know."

"It'll make me feel better," he insists. "I'll pull the bike along for you."

"I can handle my own stuff."

"I can tell," he grins, and he watches as she blinks, surprised slightly by his answer: "I'm just saying I don't mind doing it, either."

"A famous superhero offers to walk me home and even carry my bike for me," says GoGo. "How can I say no?"

* * *

He follows her back to her apartment, hauling her bike up the stairs because there is no way she's going to let that thing out of her sight without it being locked up safely. She doesn't say much, but that's okay – Dash provides the conversation instead, asking her endlessly about San Fransokyo.

"You're awfully eager to let me into your apartment," he says, grinning, as he brings her bike in.

GoGo pops her bubble gum, raises her eyebrows. He has the feeling that that's usually the extent of her facial expressions. "Don't overstay your welcome. Thanks for your time and all, but I'm good now."

"You've got a nice place."

"So I've heard." GoGo pushes him to the door, forcibly, and it's surprising how much strength the small-sized girl has in her. "Thank you and all that crap, but you can go now."

"It's so bland," Dash comments, looking around, "all black and grey and white. Not even a lot of purple. Why don't you get some colour in here?"

"Better things to do with my time." She finally gets him out of the apartment, and Dash looks down at her as she stands in the doorway, crossing her arms as she looks back up at him, and he has to stop himself from swallowing slightly. Heck, she's really kind of cute.

_Focus, Dash_!

"Thanks, and bye."

The door slams shut in his face.

* * *

GoGo doesn't tell the others about her run-in with the superhero guy from the previous night, even as she hauls her bike back to the lab the next day and starts working on the brakes again. Honey Lemon will probably gush endlessly about the guy and have a million and one questions. Fred will probably start freaking out over the fact that she's met a superhero, and she _really _doesn't want him to start fanboy-ing on her. And Tadashi and Wasabi? She's not really sure what their reactions will be like, but they'll probably go crazy about the fact that she let a guy she doesn't even know into her apartment, famous superhero or not.

To be fair, she doesn't know why she let him walk her back either, or why she even let him come in through the doorway.

She tries to recall his image again – blond and blue-eyed, part of his face covered by a black mask, dressed in a red and black suit lined with silver. She can't explain why, but there's something comforting about him. Something that makes her feel slightly more relaxed.

Probably because he helped her out and didn't back off despite her initial less-than-warm thank-you. Well, partly. GoGo'll never admit it, but she has a soft spot for people who stick with her even when she snaps at them at first sight.

Besides, he's a famous superhero. She's pretty sure he's not going to take advantage of her.

GoGo wonders if she'll see him again.

It's late when she enters her apartment, flinging her bag onto the sofa. At first glance, everything looks normal.

And then she realises there's something on the window by the fire escape.

She frowns, edges forward, and slides the window open.

On the window is a small bouquet of brightly-coloured flowers, and a stained glass, colours shining out to form some kind of scenic image.

_What the – _

"You like it?"

The face appears in front of her so quickly that GoGo reacts instinctively, her right fist moving forward to take a swing.

"_Ow_!"

Silverspeed winces, staggering backwards slightly as he rubs at his jaw: "Hell, you're fast, woman! And you hit hard."

"What are you _doing_?" she demands. All right, she'll admit that she's been thinking about this guy on and off the whole day, but heck – he's a superhero. You don't get to meet a superhero every day. What the hell is he doing at her fire escape at eleven thirty at night?

"Well, I told you your place is kind of bland." He nods at the stained glass and the flowers. "I thought this might brighten it up."

"So you bring flowers and stained glass and try to scare me?"

"Not that last part," he says, quickly. "I mean, I wasn't trying to scare you. But heck, you really are pretty fast, aren't you? Nobody's managed to land a blow on me since I was, like, ten."

"There's a reason why people call me GoGo."

She can't help the thumping in her chest increase erratically as she picks up the flowers and the stained glass and flops onto her bed. He's still leaning on the windowsill, rubbing his jaw and making a face as he does so.

"Woman up," she says, automatically, sliding off the bed to find a vase to put the flowers in. She knows she has one somewhere – some bright yellow contraption that Honey Lemon bought for her some time back – and she fills it up with water and she places it on the table and puts the flowers inside.

"You hit _hard_," he whines, but she can see his face brighten as she moves over and places the stained glass on her bedside table. "You like it?"

"It's very bright."

"And makes this whole place so much better."

"Are you implying something about my apartment?"

"Of course not," Silverspeed says, immediately. "But everything is better with me around."

Fantastic. It's not just a blond superhero sitting at her fire escape, it's a blond, egotistical superhero. Her day's just getting better and better.

* * *

He ends up visiting her apartment almost every night, and usually with flowers or some other kind of stupid ornament to 'brighten up her place'. Soon she's stuck with more stained glass, with photo frames, with lamps, with colourful candles, with pictures. On the nights he doesn't drop by, he leaves a couple of flowers on the fire escape and usually a note.

They end up talking a lot, GoGo curled up in an armchair by the fire escape. Somehow, they progress so that he ends up _inside _the apartment, sitting on the sofa or another chair she's pulled up.

He tells her he's just finished college and he's working in San Fransokyo. She asks him if he attended superhero college. He laughs and tells her there's no such thing.

She tells him she studies at SFIT and she's still working on her electromag suspended wheels. He asks her if she's fixed that brake yet. She tells him it's not really her top priority.

He never takes off his mask, and she never asks him to. She asks, once, if he knows her in his normal life, in his secret identity. He tells her he doesn't. He wonders if she'll ask him to let her know who he is, since it's not like she'll know him anyway.

She never does.

Dash doesn't know what it is that draws him to this girl, night after night. She curls up in her chair with her fingers tapping against her leg and chewing her bubble gum, and she's sarcastic and straightforward and honest, and she's quick and she's fast and she's not afraid to shoot back at him or take a swing at him whenever he says something to annoy her.

Sometimes, his heart rate speeds up dramatically whenever she comes too close, whenever she smiles at him, whenever she stretches out where she's lying sprawled on the arm chair, whenever she chuckles or whenever she laughs – the latter being an extremely rare occurrence.

He's not really sure why.

She asks him, once, why he's always coming around.

"I don't know," he answers, honestly. "I mean, I've got friends from work and stuff, but it's different when I'm talking to you."

"I'm talking to you in your superhero identity."

"Yeah, but you still treat me as a normal person." Dash shrugs, suddenly, and he runs his fingers through his hair. "I mean – I like being a superhero. But everyone treats me differently. But with you – I don't know. I mean, I like talking to you. And somehow I think that you'd still be talking the same way to me even if you met me in my secret identity."

"Don't start spilling all your sob stories," GoGo warns, but there's something in her voice that makes Dash smile.

"Don't worry," he tells her, and something catches in his throat as her eyes meet his, as she smiles that crooked, wry smile of hers: "I'm not intending to start whining."

* * *

The first time he kisses her is when he stumbles in through the fire escape late one night, bruised and battered.

She's been working at her desk, but when he lands on the ground, painfully, she jumps up and whirls around: "What the - ?"

"Bank robbery," he mutters, straightening himself upright and propping himself up against the wall. "You know that series of robberies and shootings happening lately? They were prepared for me." He winces as he shifts his arm. "We got them but – well."

He flinches again as he moves his other arm. "Your place was the nearest."

GoGo is quick to react. She digs out a first aid box, crosses her legs and slides onto the ground next to him, the work on her desk forgotten. "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere," he mutters. "Can't remember the last time I got such a beating."

"I need you to take your shirt off."

_Hell_. Even in his slightly dazed state, he's aware of how close she is to him, and he can smell something sweet on her – probably her bubble gum. She's so small, but she's so close, and he can practically feel the heat radiating from her body –

_Focus, Dash_!

"If you wanted to me see me shirtless," he mumbles, "you could've just asked. I'd have stripped for you long ago."

He manages to send her a half-smile. She snorts: "Don't go flattering yourself just yet."

Carefully, she manages to get the top half of his supersuit off – dammit, he'll need to go find Edna and get it patched up and repaired – and she cleans his wounds, tends to his bruises.

"How do you know how to do this kind of thing?" he asks her, watching her as her small hands move over his chest, his abs. Hell, her hands feel so good moving over his chest –

_Focus, Dash_!

He has to mentally slap himself.

"You go at the speed I do, you tend to get yourself into a lot of scrapes. First aid knowledge is a necessity. Now shut up."

"To go at the speed you do?" he murmurs, deciding to ignore her last sentence. The world's still spinning around him slightly, and he's only really aware of how goddamn close she is to him, of how good she smells, of how soft and warm her hands are on him, and his hand snakes out to take hold of her wrist. His voice is low: "How fast do you like to go?"

"I'm going to ignore the double meaning in that statement," she says, but years of listening to villains monologuing (and of annoying Violet) means that he can catch the slightly flustered tone in her voice. "Now shut up so I can treat you properly."

Dash can feel himself smiling faintly, but he decides to heed her words this time.

* * *

When she's finally done, and she's bandaged up his wounds and she's clearing up her things, he finds her wrists again, clasping them with his own shaky hands.

GoGo turns to face him, blows her hair out of her eyes: "What? Don't you dare start whining on me."

He smiles faintly at that again. "You know when you were a kid, and you got hurt, and a kiss was supposed to make the hurt go away?"

She narrows her eyes at him: "Yeah?"

There's a familiar _pop_! of her bubble gum.

What is he doing? He's probably shooting himself in the foot by doing this. He really should just shut up now and watch her as she keeps her stuff but _damn _he's already missing the feel of her hands patching him up –

"Will you make the pain go away?" he asks her, swallowing slightly and looking up at her with those puppy dog eyes that softens even Violet.

She raises her eyebrows, crosses her arms. Dammit, how can someone look so damn attractive even with his face half-covered by a mask and when he's looking at her with his eyes half-shut? "You want me to kiss your abs? Very nice way of asking."

"I've got very nice abs," he says, defensively. That's not something she's about to argue with.

Dash is hopeful. She hasn't punched him at all, or even made a move to, so that's got to be a good sign, right?

"You've got bruises and bandages all over. I am _not _kissing your entire upper body."

"You don't have to," he murmurs, and before he can change his mind or possibly regret anything he's about to do, he yanks her by her wrists and kisses her, pressing his lips to hers.

She tastes sweet, which isn't very surprising considering she's chewing on that bubble gum all the time, and her lips are soft, so very soft, and oh _hell _he thinks he can do this all night.

He can feel her stiffen in shock for a moment.

And then she relaxes, and she's kissing him back.

Maybe getting injured was worth it.

* * *

The next morning, GoGo finds herself waking up to a strangely empty bed. It's a moment when she remembers that Silverspeed stayed the night, that he curled up on her bed next to her as she turned to face the wall instead of him.

He's gone.

She feels strangely empty.

And then she smells the pancakes, and the hot chocolate, and she bolts upright in her bed and slides off and pads outside.

He's gone, that's without a doubt. But on the kitchen table are pancakes and hot chocolate and maple syrup and a tiny, stained glass vase with a flower in it, and a note in messy handwriting.

_Hey, GoGo. Thanks for helping me out last night. I had to go, but I made breakfast and I hope you like it. See you tonight! _

She can't help the smile that spreads across her face as she slides into the chair at the table.

* * *

He shows up at night in his mask but without his suit, in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and holding a bunch of flowers.

"I had to go get it patched up," he admits to her, when he slides in through the window in his civilian clothing. "I swear, I thought E was going to kill me."

"Wow. A superhero fashion designer?"

"She does a lot of fashion shows, too. You know – Edna Mode?"

They don't spend hours talking about Edna Mode, though. It's not even five minutes before she finds herself against the wall with her arms around him and pulling him closer, his forearms and hands on the wall on either side of her head.

Of course, they don't spend the whole night kissing, either. It takes a while, but they eventually end up sprawled on her sofa, his arm around her, talking, and occasionally kissing. (Personally, Dash thinks that the amount of kissing is far too little, but as long as he gets to kiss her, he's not about to complain.) It's late, far too late when he finally leaves.

She blames him entirely. He's the one who keeps catching her by her waist and kissing her, fireworks behind her eyelids as he presses her body against hers, refusing to let her go.

Although, she doesn't exactly protest.

* * *

"Do I have to keep calling you Silverspeed?" she asks one night as she runs her hands through his hair. They're on her bed, him without a shirt and her in a tank top and shorts, resting her face on her arms as she combs through the strands of blond.

"Do you not want to?" he asks her.

"Not really." She sighs, tilts her head. "Everyone knows you as Silverspeed."

There's a long pause.

"You can call me Dash," he says, finally. There's no falter in his voice, nothing, and suddenly GoGo is feeling just a bit overwhelmed. _He's trusting her with this_. This is his secret identity, his private life, and he is trusting her with this.

"Dash," she repeats, almost thoughtfully.

* * *

Dash considers the apartment, and nods.

He's got off from his work at Krei Tech earlier today, so he's dropped by GoGo's apartment earlier in his mask and a button-down shirt and jeans. He knows she'll probably be back around eleven, and he's got ice cream and chocolate pudding and fancy desserts and a stack of movies and candles lit up around the room, and he's pleased with himself.

It's not much, but he hopes she likes it.

Even with all the late-night and lingering kisses, the endless hours she spends curled up against him as they talk, she's still never asked him to show his face. Not even once. And he is grateful, so very grateful because it means the world to him, and he wants her to know that.

There's the rattle of a key in the door, and then a voice that is definitely _not _GoGo's: "Hey, where are those blueprints you want me to get?"

_Shit_.

Dash just has enough time to blow out all the candles and stow them in the empty cupboard and duck into the bathroom when the door swings open.

When the figure walks in, he's not sure whether he's more pissed off at the fact that his evening with GoGo is now somewhat ruined or the fact that the figure who is walking in is a _guy_.

Not only that, but it is a fairly attractive guy. Dash can recognise a good-looking guy when he sees one. And this guy, in his cardigan and baseball cap and folded-up pants and sneakers, is most definitely a good-looking guy.

He finds himself glowering at the guy through the crack in the bathroom door.

Baseball Cap stands for a moment as he glances around the apartment. "Hey, GoGo, what's with the movies?" he calls out, and there's a grin on his face as he says: "Don't you know that ice cream will melt if you leave it out and not in the freezer?"

"What are you _talking _about, Tadashi?"

Dash sees GoGo freeze as she steps in through the doorway, taking in the ice cream and the pudding and the movies, and he sees her sniff the air. Right. His cologne.

Oh, man.

"'Dashi," she says, "maybe you should go."

"But you have ice cream! 'Course, it'll probably be all melted by now – " Dash can see him reach out and pick up one of the tubs and _oh shit_. The guy's face changes almost immediately " – but it's still cold – "

"Blueprints are here," GoGo says, taking a sheaf of papers from the table and pushing it at the guy. "Bye, Tadashi."

"But, GoGo – the ice cream – it's freezing, someone has had to be in your apartment – "

"I figured." Dash watches as she literally shoves the guy out the door: "Goodbye, Tadashi."

She slams the door shut and locks it.

Carefully, Dash emerges from the bathroom: "So who was that?"

"Friend from school," she says, sliding onto the sofa. "Is this rocky road?"

"'Course it is." Dash slides down next to her. "Why was he here?"

A look of amusement flashes across her face, catching something in his voice. "Getting blueprints for something. You jealous?"

"No."

She uncaps the ice cream, raises an eyebrow.

"Well, yes."

"You don't have to be," she murmurs, and then she's pinned him down to the sofa and is kissing him hard and Dash figures that maybe Tadashi's unexpected arrival wasn't exactly such a disaster.

* * *

They end up sharing ice cream and pudding and watching movies late into the night, and GoGo tells him about Tadashi's brother Hiro's SFIT showcase the following week.

"I was wondering if – " she pauses as she runs her fingers along the waistband of his jeans, her skin warm against his, and Dash has to remember how to breathe: "if you'd like to come and see it. I mean, his tech is seriously amazing, and it'd be cool if you came, and I thought you could wear sunglasses or something or whatever and you could come, but, I mean, only if you want to come, it was just a thought – "

"Wait," Dash interrupts, suddenly. This is the longest that GoGo has probably ever said _anything_, but he's struck by another thought: "Are you asking me out?"

At that, she punches him in the shoulder, hard.

"No," she growls. "I am offering to take our relationship – this – whatever it is we have – outside of my apartment. I mean – if you want to."

She is suddenly very interested in the empty tub of ice cream on the table.

And it's then that Dash realises that she's leaving this entirely up to him. She wants to go out with him, like a normal person, instead of their relationship just existing within these four walls. She wants to go out with him, but she knows that he has a secret identity and she respects that.

Something swells up in him, and he's not very sure if it's happiness or relief or whatever, but it feels like a huge balloon and he wonders if this is what it feels like to fly.

"I'll try and make it," he offers.

She looks up at him, and there's an almost hopeful look on her face. "For real?"

"Scout's honour."

"Were you ever even a scout?"

"Well. No."

He gets another punch on his arm for his troubles.

* * *

"A fresh pair of underpants? You seriously need help."

"Hey, I come prepared!"

He can see her, standing with her friends, wheeling huge blue bins across the hall. He can see her bend down and take a selfie with a huge group of people, he can hear the announcement for a Hiro Hamada, he can see her wheel the bin to a corner of the hall, and all the while she's glancing around.

Something thumps in his chest.

He's here. But can he really go up to her?

He's not wearing his mask, obviously. He's not wearing sunglasses.

He's here as Dash Parr.

He wants to go up to her, he wants to wrap his arms around her waist and rest his head on hers like he always does.

But he's not Silverspeed tonight, he's Dash Parr.

She's only ever known him as Silverspeed, she's only ever seen him with his mask on, with his face half-hidden.

He swallows, and he hangs back.

He watches as the Hiro Hamada kid presents his microbots, and somewhere in his mind something tells him that this is very dangerous and very, very bad. He watches as they all go up to congratulate him, he watches as they fall away at the approach of Alistair Krei, he watches as they go around the hall until they finally emerge, the kid holding up his acceptance letter excitedly, GoGo holding the door open.

He takes his chance.

It takes him seconds to get to the door, seconds to trail out after the group, seconds to call out: "GoGo?"

She turns then, and so do the rest of her friends. He can see her narrow her eyes slightly, trying to figure out who he is, how he knows her name. He can see her eyes widen slightly in recognition, see a small smile flicker across her face.

He smiles sheepishly. "I decided not to wear sunglasses."

It takes her exactly two seconds to fling herself on him and send him tumbling onto the ground as she tackles him in a hug.

"I can't believe you _came_!"

She jumps up to her feet, almost excitedly, and he can see her eyes are bright and there's a smile on her face and he thinks maybe he should've gone up to her a lot earlier. Hell, how did he get so lucky to even get a girl like GoGo?

"I did kind of promise," he says, and he grins at her.

"Uh, GoGo?"

It's a tall blond girl who says her name, eyes widening as she glances from one to the other. He can see the confused faces of her friends behind, he can see dumbstruck expressions, and he clambers to his feet and grins almost shyly.

"Dash, Honey Lemon," GoGo says. "Honey Lemon, Dash."

"The chemistry whiz," Dash recalls. He smiles. "Hi."

"Oh my gosh, are you GoGo's _boyfriend_?"

He slides an arm around GoGo's waist, yanks her close.

Honey Lemon lets out a squeal.

* * *

He's introduced to Wasabi and Fred and Tadashi and Hiro and their Aunt Cass, and their Aunt Cass invites him to join them for dinner at the café. He says sure, even though he's determined to pay her back for the dinner.

He ends up walking with GoGo for a while, as Tadashi and Hiro wander off.

"I can't believe you came," GoGo says again, as they walk along the grounds. Her hand is in his, and he can't help but think this is so ridiculously nice, walking with her in the falling darkness.

"Of course I came," he says. "I mean, you asked me. Of course I came."

She squeezes his hand, and he laughs and he slides his arm around her waist again.

Dash's always been one to talk a lot, but right now he doesn't think there's a lot of need for words.


	5. meeting the family

**to Lemon Dropz: let's pretend...that Tadashi got saved by Dash earlier. heh. i _can_ write a chapter for that though ahahaha**

* * *

_in which GoGo meets the Parrs._

* * *

Violet checks the address scribbled on the small square of paper in her palm again, glances up at the number on the door in front of her, and nods. Yep, this is the place, all right. Dash must really be doing pretty well for himself if he can afford this kind of apartment.

God, she's missed her annoying little brother. Sure, this isn't the longest time they've spent apart from each other, but he _is _living on his own now, and working at Krei Industries – _Krei Industries_. When did the annoying little boy she's always known grow up?

She knocks on the door.

It swings open to reveal a short girl a few years younger than her, with choppy dark hair and violet streaks dressed in a sports bra and leggings, raising her eyebrows inquisitively.

"Oh," says Violet immediately, "oh, sorry, I must've gotten the wrong address – "

"Vi?"

It's a familiar voice, a guy's voice, and Violet peers in through the doorway to find a matching, familiar face on the sofa, blond and blue-eyed, clad only in a pair of jeans.

"Dash!"

The short girl at the doorway takes a step back instantly as Violet makes her way through into the apartment, Dash Parr scrambling up from the sofa to hug his older sister. They meet halfway in the space from the sofa to the door, the short girl in the sports bra shutting the door behind them. The expression on Dash's face is one of surprise, but the grin is unmistakeable: "I thought you were only getting to San Fransokyo in the evening!"

"Jamie managed to get me an earlier flight. I thought I'd come in and surprise you." Violet's eyes flicker over to the short girl, who has just slid what looks a lot like bubble gum into her mouth, and is looking just slightly uncomfortable sitting perched on the edge of the sofa.

This has to be Dash's girlfriend – well, _duh_, of course she is. She's in his apartment in nothing but a sports bra and leggings. Violet has to admit, though, that she's surprised. Every single girlfriend Dash has ever had – not that he's had many – were always tall and blond and willowy, and probably the most annoyingly preppy girls that Violet's ever had the luck to meet.

This girl doesn't seem like _anything _like Dash's type.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, uh, whatever you were doing – "

The grin on Dash's face spreads even more, if that's possible.

"Stop smiling," the girl on the sofa says, automatically, even though Dash's back is facing her.

Dash looks like he's about to split his face from grinning.

"Come on," he says to Violet, and he drags her over to the sofa and the armchairs around a low coffee table. "I can get snacks or something – what do you want? I've got soda, and potato chips, and I think there's some leftover cake – "

"There's pudding," the girl supplies. "And ramen. And donuts."

Violet blinks.

"Well," she says, "nice to see some things never change."

"I'll take that to mean I can get out anything!"

Violet rolls her eyes.

"You must be Leiko," she says, to the short-haired girl, holding out a hand. "Dash never shuts up about you. Every email, every phone call, every message, I swear. He's either talking about how amazing you are or how lucky he is to have you – "

"_Vi_!"

Dash's face is completely red, all the way up from his neck to his forehead. Violet blinks for a moment. Dash – _embarrassed_?

That's a first.

"It's nice to know I have such an impact," the girl says, a small smile flickering over her face. She holds out her hand. "And call me GoGo. No one's called me Leiko since I entered college."

"GoGo, then." Violet smiles at her. "I'm Violet."

"Now that you all know each other's names – " There's no doubt about it, Dash's face is completely flushed " – how about the snacks? GoGo, help me?"

"You seriously need help," says GoGo, turning around to walk towards what Violet assumes must be the bedroom.

Dash catches her by the waist. "Hey, where're you going?"

"To get my shirt."

"What? No! C'mon, in between my work at Krei Industries and your studies, we hardly get enough time together. Vi doesn't mind if you stay like this." Dash looks over at his older sister pleadingly: "Right, Vi?"

Violet shrugs as she sits down. "If you're comfortable with it."

GoGo must seriously have a high tolerance level and a lot of endurance if she's still with Dash, if he keeps saying this kind of stupid thing. Either that, or she must like him _a lot_.

"Okay, fantastic, let's go get some snacks – "

And then he's dragging GoGo by the waist to the small kitchen and counter-top. It takes a ridiculously long time for them to get even the soda out of the fridge and into glasses, but Violet can't help but smile as she watches them. Dash keeps yanking GoGo to him by her waist or by her hands, kissing her incessantly and wrapping his arms around her from behind even as she reaches up into one of the cupboards for a couple of plates, even as he pours soda into glasses.

She's never seen Dash act like this with any of his previous girlfriends before. He looks so comfortable. So _happy_.

And the way he looks at her –

* * *

"So what are you gonna be doing the whole day while waiting for Mum and Dad and Jack-Jack to arrive in the evening?" Dash wants to know. He's sitting on the sofa with GoGo next to him, having pulled her down and dragged her legs over his lap. Violet thinks that maybe she should be slightly more upset that despite having travelled all the way to San Fransokyo, it's clear that Dash still only has eyes for his girlfriend.

But she can't be upset. She really, really can't be. Not with the way that Dash is looking at GoGo.

"I'll spend the day with Jamie," Violet says, referring to her fiancé, "he's wandering around the city for a while. You know, get lost in the culture and whatnot before you give us the grand tour tomorrow with Mum and Dad and Jack-Jack and Lucius."

"Lucius is coming?" Dash asks, straightening up.

"Yup." She turns to GoGo, "So, you know, Dash has never really explained the details of how you two met."

"Yes I have!"

"All I know," Violet continues, ignoring him, "is that you nearly ran over him on your motorbike?"

GoGo cracks a smile at that. "Yeah. I was going at my usual speed when this wimp comes out from nowhere – "

"I am not a wimp!"

" – and I nearly crashed into him," GoGo says, ignoring Dash completely. "And then, you know, he started whining about how I nearly killed him and everything – "

"I didn't whine!"

"He's such a drama queen," says Violet.

"I know," GoGo says.

"I am _not_!"

"You sure?" Violet asks, and then imitates: "We're dead! We're dead! We survived, but we're dead!"

"I was _ten_!" Dash looks over at her indignantly.

"It's not like you've grown up much since then," Violet says, easily, smiling, and turns back to GoGo. "So what happened after the whining?"

"And then he said I could totally just repay him by going out for coffee with him."

"And then you punched me," Dash recalls, with an almost fond note in his voice, wrapping his arm around GoGo and grinning at her like she's the only thing he can see.

"And then I punched you," GoGo agrees.

"But you agreed to that coffee," Dash reminds her, grinning, and Violet can't help but think that she's really never seen him so happy before.

"Worst mistake of my life," GoGo deadpans.

"Aw, c'mon, you know you love me!"

"I never admitted anything."

There is a smile spreading across Violet's face as she glances from her brother to his girlfriend. For years, every single annoying preppy blonde he's gone around with – they've all been annoyingly, over-the-top in love with her brother, telling him endlessly how much they love him, lavishing all their attention on him and always pulling him in for another kiss.

GoGo is different.

Violet thinks this is a good thing.

It's then that something starts buzzing on the coffee table.

"Yours," Dash says, instantly. GoGo leans over, picks up the phone, and frowns at the caller ID.

"It's Tadashi."

"Hamada?" asks Dash, and Violet thinks that there may just be a little jealous note in his voice.

"Yeah. I'd better go get this." She nods once, at Violet, who smiles at her, and slides off Dash and wanders into the kitchen area with her phone: "Yeah, Tadashi?"

"I like her," Violet says, immediately, lowering her voice and nodding in GoGo's direction.

Dash grins. "I thought you would."

"Not like any of your previous girlfriends at all."

"I know. But GoGo is – GoGo's _different_." He turns his head to look at GoGo, who is now frowning as she speaks into the phone, and Violet can only wonder at the effect this gruff-sounding Asian girl has on her brother. He's looking at her like she's the only thing that matters, the only thing that will ever matter.

"You know," says Violet, "I somehow doubt that your nearly getting hit by her motorbike was an accident. You'd never let yourself get into something stupid like that."

Dash looks, for the moment, like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh – "

Violet smiles triumphantly: "You wanted her to nearly run you over, didn't you?"

"Shh!" Dash glances around worriedly, lowers his voice: "Okay, so maybe I've seen her around town on her bike and at the gym and while I was running laps around the track and around the park, okay? And, I mean, you know – I kind of got – every time I tried to talk to her, you know, I thought I was gonna end up bolting all the way to Thailand or something – and then – you know – I kind of – "

He looks at Violet pleadingly.

Oh, gosh. Her little brother's really got it bad.

"Fred did _what_?"

GoGo is screeching into the phone, her expression twisting: "No. _Don't touch anything_. And make sure Fredzilla _stays in the lab. _I am coming over _now_."

She hangs up, abruptly, and heads into the bedroom, muttering under her breath.

"Dashiell Parr, _where is my shirt_?"

"Um – "

"Found it!"

GoGo comes out in seconds in a tank top, tugging on denim shorts over her leggings.

"What happened?" Dash wants to know.

"Fred spilled soda over my damn calculations – "

"You mean the ones you did last night when you called me at, like, twelve thirty?"

"_Yes_!" GoGo grabs a short leather jacket off a chair, starts searching for her shoes. "I came straight to your place after that, that's the only copy I have and I am going to _kill Fred _– "

She finds her shoes, stuffs them on, and the next thing Violet knows, Dash has dragged a black backpack up from the floor and is passing it to her.

"It was nice meeting you, Violet," she says, taking the bag from Dash and the keys that he passes to her.

"Nice meeting you, too," Violet says.

"I love you," Dash says, catching GoGo by her waist before she can sail out the door, hooking her with his arm and pressing his lips to hers before she can even grab hold of the doorknob.

This is probably one of the sweetest things that Violet has ever seen Dash do with a girlfriend.

"I love you too," GoGo murmurs, fisting a hand in his shirt and kissing him again, fiercely, before they finally break apart. "But I really gotta – "

"I know, I know." Dash is looking at her with an almost painful, longing look. "Go save your calculations and beat up Fred."

"You can count on that," says GoGo, kissing him on the cheek before sliding the door open.

"Don't forget, eight o' clock tonight!" He calls out. "Wear something nice!"

"I'll see what I can do! Bye, Violet."

When he finally shuts the door and turns to look back at his older sister, there's a look on his face that makes her smile.

"You really do care about her," Violet says.

Dash smiles at her. "She's my whole world."

* * *

"I can't believe you wore a _dress_ for _me_!"

GoGo laughs as Dash swoops her up into a hug, spinning her around on the pavement outside her apartment building. It's taken her a while, but she's managed to dig out a purple and black dress, formal and fitting and sleeveless, plus a pair of purple and black heels that Honey Lemon got her some time ago.

"I'm not planning to do this again any time soon," she tells him when he finally sets her back down on the ground, still beaming. "So you'd better appreciate this while it lasts."

"Don't worry," Dash murmurs, wrapping his arms around her, his hips pressing against hers, lowering his arms to rest on her hips: "I'm planning to."

GoGo just drags him down and kisses him hard.

* * *

"_Dash_!"

GoGo stands on the hotel steps, a smile flickering over her face as a well-built fifteen-year-old lets out a whoop and flings his arms around the older man. Behind him comes a slim, brown-haired woman, a large, blond man, a skinny dark-skinned man and Violet, with a brown-haired man next to her and his arm around her waist.

"Hey, hey!" Dash chuckles, nearly staggering backwards, untangling the lanky arms from around his neck. "It's great to see you too, Jack-Jack."

"Oh, honey – " the brown-haired woman throws her arms around him as well.

"It feels like years since I've seen you – "

"San Fransokyo seems to suit you, Speedo – "

"Hey, hey," Dash repeats, grinning as he somehow manages to survive under the onslaught of hugs. "I haven't even been gone that long – "

"Long enough!" the brown-haired woman says.

Dash chuckles again, and then he suddenly turns around to find GoGo with a half-smile on her face, standing awkwardly off the side. "Oh, there's someone I want you all to meet – "

He takes her hand, pulls her forward.

"Oh, you must be _Leiko_!" Suddenly the brown-haired woman is shaking her hand energetically, beaming at her. "I'm Helen, Dash's mother."

"It's nice to meet you," GoGo says, taking the proffered hand and managing to stretch her smile a bit more. "But please, just call me GoGo."

"GoGo," the blond man repeats, and he beams at her. "Interesting name. I'm Bob."

"She's an adrenaline junkie," Dash says, almost proudly, from next to her. "You should hear about her project at her college. It's so cool."

She's introduced to Jack-Jack, Dash's teenaged brother, and Lucius, the old family friend, and Jamie Bennett, Violet's fiancé. For the most part, Dash is assaulted by his family with endless questions as they walk through the streets to the fancy Japanese restaurant where they've reserved a place for dinner. GoGo can't help but think it's kind of sweet – Jack-Jack hangs onto his older brother's arm, asking him about his work at Krei Industries, as do Helen and Bob, with Violet inserting the occasional comment here and there. It's like a family portrait, she thinks – they're a little noisy, and they bicker a lot, but it's a pretty perfect family in that way.

For her, she spends most of the walk on the way to the restaurant with Lucius and, at one point, Jamie Bennett. He asks her about SFIT, and she tries to keep herself from answering in her usual short way – sure, she's not going to bore them with details, but these people are Dash's friends and family. She doesn't want to give them a bad impression.

When they finally get to the restaurant, Jack-Jack claims the seat on Dash's right, and before GoGo can say anything Dash has yanked her down to his other side, his arm around her waist like how it almost always is.

"Sit with me," he says, almost pleadingly.

God, it's annoying how he can practically make her melt with a single look. She is GoGo Tomago. She does not simply _melt _at a look.

However, it seems like the same rules don't apply when it comes to Dash.

It's a good dinner. Well, of course it is – his family's only in town for the week, and Dash has practically outlined the entire plan for their trip to her, all the way to the dinner on the last night which will be even fancier than this one.

She likes his family. Helen and Bob are nice people – they seem to bicker but love each other a lot, and it's clear that they emphasise a _lot _on family. They don't just ask after Dash – they ask her endlessly about San Fransokyo, about SFIT, about her project and her classes, and she finds herself telling the Parrs and Jamie and Lucius more about her bike than she's expected herself to.

"So – electromagnetic suspension, you say?" Bob asks, looking interested.

GoGo nods. "Yeah. Faster bike, zero resistance. But – "

"Not fast enough," Dash supplies for her, nudging her slightly, grinning. His hand finds hers, fingers wrapping around hers. Goddammit, she loves this guy.

"Lemme guess," Lucius says, exchanging a look with Bob and Helen, the kind of look that makes GoGo thinks there's something more to this family than she thinks. "A need for speed?"

"You could say that," GoGo says.

"Well, I can see why you two get along so well," says Helen, smiling.

"Mum!" Dash says, grinning sheepishly. "But, really, you should hear her go on and on about it. Every other night I get a call from her and she's going on and on and on about her bike and the wheels and I swear, there's no mention of a brake _anywhere _– "

"Hey. I installed a brake!"

"That reminds me," Violet says, suddenly. "What happened to your calculations? The ones that your friend ruined?"

"Well," GoGo says, "I hit Fred over the head and managed to salvage what I could. It wasn't so bad."

"That's my girl," Dash says, proudly, holding up her hand, his fingers running over her knuckles lightly.

"Remember what we talked about?" GoGo asks him, pointedly, as Bob nudges Helen and mouths across to Lucius: _I like this girl_.

Dash makes a face. "Right. No claiming ownership of each other."

She pats his arm. "Good boy."

* * *

It's hours later when the Parr family, and Lucius, and Jamie, are back in the hotel.

"I like her," Helen says to her husband and to Lucius.

"Do you see the way he looks at her?" Bob says. "And the way she looks at him?"

Helen laughs, throws her arms around her husband: "Oh, I'm so happy for him!"

* * *

It's past midnight when GoGo says to Dash: "I like your family."

They're in his apartment, GoGo curled up on his bed next to him.

"Mmm," Dash murmurs, running a hand through her hair, peppering her face, her shoulders, her collarbones, with kisses. "I think they like you too, honestly."

"I hope they do."

This sentence distracts Dash enough to look up from his task and look up at GoGo, whose nose is scrunched up as she traces patterns over his broad shoulders. A grin spreads across his face: "You were putting in effort to be nice!"

Her eyes flicker to meet his, her gaze guilty. "They're _your _family."

"You didn't have bubble gum," he recalls, suddenly. "You were trying to make a good impression."

There's no doubt about it, her gaze is definitely guilty.

Something warms in his chest, and he yanks her towards him, and he murmurs: "Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?"

"Don't start getting all sappy on me," she warns, but there is a small smile on her face, the smile that always makes him feel weak in the knees. God, how can she make him melt with just a smile? He thinks that this is totally unfair.

"I love you," he says, anyway.

She smiles again: "I love you too."

She kisses him then, and everything else, as far as Dash is concerned, flies out the window.

* * *

When his family finally flies off, Bob tells him that he likes GoGo, Helen won't stop gushing about her, Lucius tells him not to scare her off because she's one in a million, and Jack-Jack tells him to bring GoGo back when he comes back to Metroville.

Violet tells him that if he ever lets GoGo go, she will personally come back to San Fransokyo and beat him into a pulp. Either that, or make sure that there are enough remains left for a funeral after GoGo's done with him.

He tells them he has no plans of ever letting her out of his sight.


	6. a need to protect

**found this old draft in my laptop, polished it up a bit. had the urge to write, but nothing was coming out right, so edited this instead. **

* * *

_in which Dash can't ever let GoGo get hurt. not ever. _

* * *

"So let me get this straight." GoGo is leaning against her bike, her helmet on the seat behind her, her face impassive as she chews on her bubble gum. _Goddammit_, Dash thinks, _she's so damn beautiful_. The sun is setting, and the light is fading, and she's so goddamn beautiful and _no he cannot get distracted right now_.

She is looking at him with an emotionless mask, and all he really wants to do is make her smile and kiss her senseless.

_No_.

"You're dumping me. Because it's complicated."

"Not dumping," he says, immediately, automatically, and he wants to take her hands but she's got her arms folded over her leather jacket, hands under her arms. "I'm breaking up with you. It's – it's better this way."

_It's the only way I can keep you safe_, he thinks, but he doesn't say it.

He's just gotten a call from Violet earlier that day, a long, frustrated, tear-filled call about how her boyfriend Wilbur (stupid name, but the guy isn't that bad) has nearly gotten killed because of her and her dual identity as a Superhero. He can still hear her voice in his ears, telling him how it's all her fault, how if she'd just pushed him away and not hung onto him so desperately because she needs him, he'd be okay, he wouldn't be in the hospital right now, and she has to break up with him, she can't be close to him because it's just a death sentence for him.

And it's gotten Dash thinking.

GoGo is probably the best thing that's happened to him in San Fransokyo since he moved here nearly ten months ago. He can still remember that first meeting at the park; he'd been seeing her around for weeks, the crazy short Korean girl zipping around San Fransokyo at ridiculous speeds on her bike, running around the park on Saturday mornings, bubble gum in her mouth.

It took him approximately three weeks to get up the courage to go talk to her.

The conversation ended up something like this:

"That's a – that's a really cool bike."

"School project. Who're you?"

"Uh – Dash. My name's – my name's Dash. I go to – uh – San Fran University. I've seen you – I've seen you, you know, ride around the city sometimes. And, uh, run around in the mornings. I mean, not in a stalker-ish, creepy kind of seeing-you way, but uh, you know, just around – you know what, I'll stop talking now. Uh, what about you?"

"GoGo. SFIT." _Pop _of bubble gum. "I've seen you running those suicide laps in the morning."

"You – you _did_?" Internal cheer of triumph. "That's – that's – I mean, that's cool. That's totally cool. I mean – yeah. I mean – I was thinking – do you want to – I mean, if you're free – if you've got nothing – I mean, I don't really have anything to do right now – but if you want – I mean – there's a coffee place nearby – "

"Okay." Another _pop_.

"Really? For real? I mean – great. Yeah. Great. Cool."

And now he is standing here with her in the park where he first talked to her for the first time, and he is saying words that will mean he will never be able to look at her the same way again, and all he can really think about right now is how much he wants to kiss her –

_Focus, Dash!_

"Using the phrase 'break-up' instead of 'dumping' isn't making much difference here, Parr." GoGo's voice is icy, and oh god he wants to drag her to him by her hips and kiss her senseless and tell her he loves her but _he can't_. "And you're doing this because it's better for _who_, exactly?"

_For you_, he wants to say. _For both of us. Because I can't let you get hurt and I can't live with myself if something happened to you because of me_.

"For both of us," Dash finds himself saying. "GoGo – " He reaches a hand out instinctively: "Please, I just – "

"Forget it." GoGo slides a leg over her bike, grabbing her helmet and slips it onto her head without glancing back at him. "I'll drop by your place tomorrow to get my stuff. Just leave it in a box outside your door."

"GoGo – "

She doesn't say goodbye before the engine roars into life and she's gone.

* * *

He can't stay away.

He's tried, of course he has. It's safer for her if he's not around, especially with so many of his old enemies breaking out of prisons and declaring revenge on the Incredibles. He has to stay away, because it's the only way he can keep her safe.

He can't do it.

Dash finds himself straying to SFIT in his free time, watching from rooftop buildings and following her as she speeds her way around the city. He watches her as she zips around on her bike, as she tests out her electromagnetic wheels, as she wanders around the city on the weekends or in the evenings with her friends.

He misses her.

Goddammit, he misses her so much.

He misses days holed up in coffeehouses and racing around the city on their bikes and curling up on the beanbag in his apartment and fighting and making up and falling for her all over again.

Their photos are still plastered over his walls, of course. He can't bring himself to take them down. Endless photos he's dragged her into, a smile on her face, his arm around her, him grabbing her around her waist, her dragging him down to ruffle his hair.

Dash thinks he might go crazy.

* * *

She can't work on her electromagnetic suspended wheels.

Every time she steps into the lab and moves over to her work station, every time she glances over at the wheels, at the hanging bike, every time she moves over to work on them – she can't. She _can't_, because every time she does she can remember _him_. She can remember days at the park, speeding around the city on crazy races no one else would dare, him asking her endlessly about her project, how fast the wheels could go, how fast she wants them to go.

So she ends up in Tadashi's workroom most of the time, clearing a space at a spare table and doing her work there instead.

Tadashi notices something is wrong, of course, and it's a week before he corners her.

"What's going on?" he wants to know, leaning against the table she's doing her work on and crossing his arms. "I know something's bothering you. You haven't been the same since the week started. You didn't even punch Fred when he nearly wrecked the blueprints and calculations that you made and didn't have a back-up of."

"Stuff on my mind."

"GoGo." Tadashi takes away her papers, her pens, makes her look up at him. "Does this have something to do with that blond guy whose photo you had on your wall? I saw that you tore it down."

Her fist clenches over empty air.

Of course Tadashi would notice that photo, and notice that it was gone.

"Stuff just happened, okay?" she snaps.

"GoGo." He slides nearer to her, places a hand on her shoulder. "You know I'm here for you, right? You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. But I'm here if you need to talk."

She doesn't say anything for a long moment.

Goddammit. She misses that no-good, annoying blond punk so much.

"Thanks," she says, finally. "But I'm okay."

* * *

She ends up telling him anyway.

He lets her have a box of donuts from the café for free.

* * *

It's late one Friday evening when Dash drags himself away from his Super identity, when he finds a pair of jeans and a crumpled shirt (that she has never worn before) and a pair of Converse sneakers. If he doesn't stop trailing after GoGo from the rooftops, he knows, he will never, ever stop.

He has to try.

But he can feel his fingers tapping on his jeans, he can feel that pull calling to him to get up on those rooftops because he needs to find her he needs to see her –

_No!_

He ends up outside some place called the Lucky Cat Café, and he forces himself in because if he doesn't he knows he _will _end up in his Supersuit watching out for her. He can't do this. He can't keep watching her from afar, watch her zip around the city at reckless, incredible speeds, watch her pop her bubble gum and give that crooked smile to someone who isn't him –

Like right now.

He freezes just inside the doorway because _really out of all the places in San Fransokyo she is here. _

She is sitting with a group of people around a circular table, leaning back on her chair, a half-smile on her face. He can recognise the people from the stories she's told him. The guy in the beanie is Fred. The big African-American guy is Wasabi. The tall, blond girl is Honey Lemon. The short kid is Hiro. And the guy in the baseball cap who is sitting _far too close to GoGo _is Tadashi.

His fist clenches because he can see Tadashi slide an arm around the back of GoGo's chair and _no that is not right – _

It's been so long since he saw her so close.

Goddammit, she's so beautiful. She is beautiful and she is wonderful and she is crazy and she is GoGo and he thinks he can stand here all night watching her.

But then Tadashi says something, and she lets out a chuckle, and she looks up.

He wants to march right over there and kiss her senseless, he really does.

Her eyes darken when they catch sight of him.

_GoGo - _

It's like he's frozen. He can see her mutter something to the others at the table, he can see her slide up from her chair, and he thinks the Tadashi guy is looking at him but he doesn't really care because all he can see is GoGo.

And then she is walking towards him, her bubble gum in her mouth –

No, not towards him.

Towards the door.

She is so close that he can reach out and grab her arm and he wants to tell her that _he gives up because he can't do this he is no good at keeping away from her _–

But he doesn't.

She marches right past him, and her shoulder brushes his arm and _oh god GoGo - _

But then she is out the door, and he is left standing there, and it's difficult to breathe.

* * *

The next time he sees her is at the SFIT showcase.

He is there because, goddammit, he can't keep away. He knows about this showcase, he knows she'll be there, he knows that he will be lost in the crowd and so this will probably be one of the few times he'll see her up close without being seen himself because she doesn't like crowds.

So he goes there, and he watches her.

He goes there and he watches her cheer on Hiro Hamada, he watches her throughout the whole showcase as he follows at a distance around the hall because he can't keep away. It is wrong, and he broke up with her for a reason, but he misses her so damn much.

He can't stay away.

He is there when the alarm sounds, he is the one who dashes in and drags out that _idiot _Tadashi Hamada because he is a Super and that is what he does. The building explodes before he can run back inside to get Callaghan, and something breaks in him slightly because he is a Super and he is not supposed to fail.

But he does, anyway.

He fails, but all he can see is GoGo as she watches as her friend is carried into an ambulance, as he is thanked by Cass Hamada and Tadashi's younger brother who is being dragged into an ambulance of his own, as he is assaulted by Fred because he is just so grateful his best friend got saved by a famous superhero.

All he can see is GoGo.

And, goddammit, he wants to go over there and tell her that he's sorry and that he loves her.

* * *

He packs up and takes a trip to visit his parents and Jack-Jack in Metroville. He can't visit Violet, because he knows that she will know that something is wrong, so he takes a couple of weeks off from school and he buries himself with his family because he _needs _to stay away from GoGo or he knows she will get hurt because of him.

Jack-Jack figures there's something up, but he's too excited his big brother came back to visit than to wonder what it is, and he spends days showing Dash just how much he's improved with his powers. His dad figures there's something wrong, but he respects his older son's privacy and doesn't ask questions.

Helen Parr is another thing entirely. She sits him down at the kitchen table and demands to know what is going on.

"Dash," she says, and her brown hair is streaked with grey and her eyes are tired but understanding and she is smiling sadly, "what is going on?"

And his defences break. Just like that.

And he tells her about this amazing girl he met in the park at San Fransokyo nearly a year ago, he tells his mother all about GoGo and he tells her how much he cares for her goddammit and he tells her that he can't do it anymore because he doesn't want her to get hurt.

"Honey," she says. "Remember when you were ten and that incident with Syndrome happened?"

Of course he remembers. How can he not?

"Your father thought he was trying to protect us too," she reminds him. "But he needed us. If you're all the way back in Metroville just because of a girl, I think you may need her a lot more than you realise. I know your past relationships haven't turned out so fantastic, but I've never heard you talk about a girl the same way you talk about this GoGo."

"What are you saying?" he wants to know.

"I want you to trust her," she says. "And more importantly, trust yourself." And she smiles at him. "When the time comes, you'll know what to do."

When he finally heads back to San Fransokyo, he tells his mum he'll bring along his girlfriend the next time round: "If she forgives me."

Helen Parr just smiles.

* * *

When he gets back to San Fransokyo, it's to find the whole city buzzing with news about Big Hero 6, a group of superheroes who've saved them all from Robert Callaghan, who set the fire at the showcase to steal microbots. They're new, they're awesome, they're totally cool, and they're now the protectors of San Fransokyo.

For a moment, Dash is stunned.

He'd be an idiot not to recognise the figure in yellow, the reports of the electromagnetic wheels that the yellow speedster uses.

It is GoGo.

_It is GoGo. _

It is GoGo, and she is a goddamn _superhero._

Why did he leave San Fransokyo?

He hears about everything she's been up against, and he can only think of how _he should've been here to help her. _

For a moment, for one wonderful moment, he remembers his mother back in Metroville and he thinks of GoGo and _surely now everything will be okay_?

But it's selfish. Now she's a superhero, for sure, but she's new to the job. She doesn't have enemies, not like how Dash has. And now she's a superhero, she'll be an even bigger target.

Now she's a superhero, and she's only got her electromag wheels to rely on, and he can't lose her.

He stays away.

* * *

Dash is alerted to Octo-man's escape from Jack-Jack, and Jack-Jack tells him that the stupid moron who goes around in a mechanised octopus suit has sworn revenge on Quickspeed for putting him in jail nearly three years ago.

It's two weeks before Octo-man's appearance is made known to him somewhere, wreaking havoc on the outskirts of the city and screaming revenge on Quickspeed and how he will destroy his new home and how Octo-man's powers of evil are now far greater than Quickspeed could ever imagine and he will take everything away from him.

These supervillains really only know how to say the same thing over and over again.

He arrives just in time to see Octo-man (seriously, what kind of stupid names do supervillains come up with?) raise one large, mechanical tentacle and strike a yellow-and-black blur with it, sending her slamming into the abandoned building with so much force that it starts to crumble around her.

_GoGo_.

No.

NoNoNoNoNo

GoGo is supposed to be safe

GoGo is not supposed to get hurt

This is not GoGo's fight because Octo-man is here for him because he and Vi put him in jail the last time

This is not GoGo's fight and GoGo is hurt

GoGo is supposed to be safe GoGo is supposed to stay away

_No_.

"HEY!"

All he can see is red, and the next thing he knows he is pummelling that goddamn octopus-man's face because _this is his fight and he is going to send this idiot criminal back to jail – _

"You – "

He lands a punch on the moron's face –

" – don't – ever – touch – her – _again_!"

* * *

It is one thing to be superheroes in action on a daily basis.

It is another thing to see an ultra-famous superhero repeatedly punch the octopus guy so many times in the face and screaming that _he will never touch her again_.

Fred is concerned for GoGo. Of course she is. The reckless speedster that she is, she's darted in headfirst into the battle with this Octo-guy, and she's been smashed into a building with the walls tumbling around her, and Wasabi is panicking and Baymax is lifting up the cracked walls and Hiro is freaking out and Honey Lemon is gushing and through the earpieces Fred can hear Tadashi's worried voice screeching for details.

But this is _Quickspeed_, returned to the city after who-knows-how-many weeks of absence, and while Fred has heard that the guy is reckless and fast, this is beyond anything he's ever imagined.

He thinks that the _her _Quickspeed is screaming about must be GoGo, though he can't imagine why the Incredible guy is so freaked out over her.

It takes maybe thirty seconds, tops, for Octo-guy to be wrapped up in his own tentacles which have all been yanked out of his mechanised suit, with his face completely purple and blue and black for Quickspeed's punches.

It takes another two seconds for Quickspeed to burrow himself into the middle of them, shoving off rubble and bricks from GoGo's body with just about as much strength as Baymax.

"GoGo," he can hear Quickspeed whisper, and his voice sounds broken and it is like a jolt because _how the hell does Quickspeed know who she is_? "GoGo."

* * *

God, no. This isn't happening.

He is vaguely aware of her friends in their bright suits crowding around him, but he can't bring himself to care because _goddammit GoGo is hurt_. He yanks off her helmet and he cradles her head in his hands on his lap, and all he can think is _GoGo _because she can't be hurt she can't be.

She is breathing, but she is breathing slowly, painfully, and he can only crouch over her because this is not right.

His vision is blurry and it feels like something wet is sliding down his cheeks.

"You can't do this to me," he says, and his voice is hoarse but he doesn't care and all he can see is her: "You can't do this to me, I need to apologise for being such a dick and I need you to tell me what an idiot I am and we still need to go and race around the city and we need to go and try those donuts you're always telling me about and we need more Sundays at your place doing nothing and GoGo you can't do this to me _you can't _– "

Her eyelids flicker.

"Dash?" she whispers, and her voice sounds so small but he wants to cry in relief because she is okay she is breathing and she is saying his name –

"Yeah," he says, and his voice comes out all strangled. "Yeah, speedo, it's me. You're gonna be okay, okay?"

"I'm always okay," she mutters, almost stubbornly.

"You're gonna be better than okay," Dash says automatically. "Stay with me, speedo, okay?"

"Thought you didn't wanna stay with me."

"I always want to stay with you," he says. "I never want to leave you. I want to stay with you, and race with you, and laugh with you, and eat loads of good food with you, and I want to kiss you senseless and I never ever want to leave you. I just wanted you to be safe, but – " He manages a smile, somehow " – seems like you end up getting into problems anyway."

"Yeah. That Octopus guy hurt." Her voice is low, raspy, slow. "And don't be sappy." She winces. "You're – you're Quickspeed."

"Yeah, speedo."

"You thought I'd get – I'd get hurt for being with a superhero?" She wants to know. "That's - that's why you broke up with me?"

"Well. Yeah."

"You're an idiot, Parr."

"I'm your idiot. I'll always be your idiot." Dash pauses. "If you'll have me back."

A small smile twitches onto her face. "I missed you too, Parr."

* * *

**umm...any comments? haha**


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